Letter from the Editor

One of our brand managers in our office in Atlanta made the decision to move back to California and return to sales management. One of the things he left behind was a “standing desk.” There were four other people who wanted the desk, so we held a lottery. As you can guess, I didn’t draw the small straw, so I lost out.

I didn’t really feel that bad because the winner had excessive weight with diabetes and I figured if he stood part of the day, it could help him.

This week, item #5 from our current LECOM intern proves that there is a reason I should be glad he won.

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We can make a difference!

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Dave Joffe

Editor-in-chief

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News Flash: Novo-Nordisk Takes New GLP-1 to FDA

Novo-Nordisk announced that they will submit their oral GLP-1 inhibitor semaglutide to the FDA at the end of the first quarter using a priority review voucher, which puts the drug on a fast track for approval.

News Flash: Generic SGLT-2 Gets Tentative Approval

Farxiga, the first generic for dapagliflozin, could be available soon. Tentative approval means that the application met the criteria for approval, but patent issues need to be resolved before the product can be sold in the U.S.

Microneedle patches are a promising way to easily and painlessly deliver a variety of drugs into the body. Yet there’s also a lot of potential to use microneedle patches to sense important biochemicals, glucose being probably the most important target. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden have developed a prototype glucose sensing patch that will hopefully be more accurate and less painful compared to current continuous glucose monitors. The device uses needles that are about 50 times smaller than those in commercially available continuous glucometers and the needles sample the blood within the skin rather than extending deeper into the subcutaneous fat tissue. “Our solution is painless to the user,” said Federico Ribet, one of the researchers involved in the study. “We measure directly in the skin, and there are no nerve receptors that detect pain – just a fine mesh of very tiny blood vessels.” The researchers tested the new patch on human volunteers and showed that it is able to accurately track blood glucose counts, with only a ten-minute delay.

Test Your Knowledge

Based on a meta-analysis of cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes studies, the findings suggest that a 15% relative risk reduction in nonfatal myocardial infarcts is associated with an A1c reduction of approximately:

One or more serving of fried chicken a day was linked to a 13% higher risk of death from any cause. A regular serving of fried chicken or fish is associated with a higher risk of death from any cause except cancer, according to a new study in the U.S. Women eating a daily portion of fried fish or shellfish saw a 7% greater risk of death. The observational study is the first in the United States to look at the relationship between fried food consumption and mortality. However, previous research has shown links between higher consumption of fried foods and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. They looked at the food habits of almost 107,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79 from 40 clinics across the United States between 1993 and 1998. They were followed up for an average of 18 years. A 2017 study found that people who eat fried potatoes two or more times a week double their risk of an early death compared with those who avoid them. When they enrolled in the study, the women completed a food frequency questionnaire asking about consumption and portion size of 122 food items, including fried chicken and fish, as well as french fries, tortillas, and tacos. Other factors related to mortality, such as education level, income, total energy consumption and overall diet quality, were taken into account in the team’s calculations. Fried food’s link to health outcomes is the combined effect from the food itself and the frying process. The authors note that the study wasn’t able to identify what types of oils were used or at what temperature the foods were cooked, nor which cooking methods were used. These also affect the association between fried foods and risk of death. The increased fat content and the effect of frying at high temperatures can cause the production of trans fats and other harmful compounds called glycation products. Glycation products — compounds formed when protein-rich animal foods, like meat and fish, are cooked at high temperatures — are also linked with a higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, according to previous studies. — BMJ. 2019 Jan 23;364:k5420. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k5420.

One of our brand managers in our office in Atlanta made the decision to move back to California and return to sales management. One of the things he left behind was a “standing desk.” There were four other people who wanted the desk, so we held a lottery. As you can guess, I didn’t draw the small straw, so I lost out.

I didn’t really feel that bad because the winner had excessive weight with diabetes and I figured if he stood part of the day, it could help him.

This week, item #5 from our current LECOM intern proves that there is a reason I should be glad he won.

Novo-Nordisk announced that they will submit their oral GLP-1 inhibitor semaglutide to the FDA at the end of the first quarter using a priority review voucher, which puts the drug on a fast track for approval.

News Flash: Generic SGLT-2 Gets Tentative Approval

Farxiga, the first generic for dapagliflozin, could be available soon. Tentative approval means that the application met the criteria for approval, but patent issues need to be resolved before the product can be sold in the U.S.

Microneedle patches are a promising way to easily and painlessly deliver a variety of drugs into the body. Yet there’s also a lot of potential to use microneedle patches to sense important biochemicals, glucose being probably the most important target. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden have developed a prototype glucose sensing patch that will hopefully be more accurate and less painful compared to current continuous glucose monitors. The device uses needles that are about 50 times smaller than those in commercially available continuous glucometers and the needles sample the blood within the skin rather than extending deeper into the subcutaneous fat tissue. “Our solution is painless to the user,” said Federico Ribet, one of the researchers involved in the study. “We measure directly in the skin, and there are no nerve receptors that detect pain – just a fine mesh of very tiny blood vessels.” The researchers tested the new patch on human volunteers and showed that it is able to accurately track blood glucose counts, with only a ten-minute delay.

Based on a meta-analysis of cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes studies, the findings suggest that a 15% relative risk reduction in nonfatal myocardial infarcts is associated with an A1c reduction of approximately:

One or more serving of fried chicken a day was linked to a 13% higher risk of death from any cause. A regular serving of fried chicken or fish is associated with a higher risk of death from any cause except cancer, according to a new study in the U.S. Women eating a daily portion of fried fish or shellfish saw a 7% greater risk of death. The observational study is the first in the United States to look at the relationship between fried food consumption and mortality. However, previous research has shown links between higher consumption of fried foods and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. They looked at the food habits of almost 107,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79 from 40 clinics across the United States between 1993 and 1998. They were followed up for an average of 18 years. A 2017 study found that people who eat fried potatoes two or more times a week double their risk of an early death compared with those who avoid them. When they enrolled in the study, the women completed a food frequency questionnaire asking about consumption and portion size of 122 food items, including fried chicken and fish, as well as french fries, tortillas, and tacos. Other factors related to mortality, such as education level, income, total energy consumption and overall diet quality, were taken into account in the team’s calculations. Fried food’s link to health outcomes is the combined effect from the food itself and the frying process. The authors note that the study wasn’t able to identify what types of oils were used or at what temperature the foods were cooked, nor which cooking methods were used. These also affect the association between fried foods and risk of death. The increased fat content and the effect of frying at high temperatures can cause the production of trans fats and other harmful compounds called glycation products. Glycation products — compounds formed when protein-rich animal foods, like meat and fish, are cooked at high temperatures — are also linked with a higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, according to previous studies. — BMJ. 2019 Jan 23;364:k5420. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k5420.